Justin Frye and Ohio State's offensive linemen were the final position group to meet reporters for fall camp interviews Thursday before the start of the regular season.
Frye was joined at the microphone by Donovan Jackson, Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery, Seth McLaughlin, Tegra Tshabola, George Fitzpatrick, Josh Fryar and Zen Michalski at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center following the Buckeyes' 18th of 25 August practices ahead of their matchup with Akron on Aug. 31.
Among the many topics discussed during their interview sessions, Frye talked about the growth of Tshabola, Fitzpatrick and Michalski, Montgomery discussed the Buckeyes’ desire to play someone other than themselves and Fryar said OSU’s offensive linemen have a chip on their shoulders.
Justin Frye
“We're playing more and continue to play more like linemen and not lines on a page ... they're not just saying, ‘I'm a line on a page.’ (They’re Saying) ‘I got to go block the next guy.’”– Justin Frye on Ohio State’s offensive line improvement from last season
- Frye said the game is “really starting to slow down” for Tegra Tshabola. “He's been showing up a lot.”
- Frye believes the Buckeyes are closing in on their target of having eight to nine offensive linemen ready to play this season.
- Frye says George Fitzpatrick and Zen Michalski “have played their best football of their careers since I’ve been here,” so he’s confident in them as Ohio State’s backup offensive tackles.
- On Ohio State’s 2025 offensive line recruiting class: “We're not done yet. I mean, keep your head on a swivel here. December's a long way away. The weekend's coming up soon.”
Donovan Jackson
“This whole line, for the most part, has a lot of playing experience. Bringing in Seth, he has a ton of playing experience. Everyone else on the line who played last year and is now coming back has a year under their belt. It’s a veteran mentality. We’ve seen it all. Know that we’ve seen it, we can play fast.” – Donovan Jackson on what had stood out about Ohio State’s offensive line in preseason camp
- On Ohio State’s defensive linemen seeing improvement in the offensive line: “I sure hope that we’ve improved over the practices. I’m glad the D-line thinks so. We’re just trying to play hard. There’s a whole lot that we can improve on.” As for where the offensive line can improve, Jackson said, “Just simplifying (the offense) and running off the ball. Coach Frye has given us a lot of tools in terms of hand placement and what we can do to gain leverage and displace guys off the line of scrimmage. It’s using what we learned to execute in the game and improve in practice.”
- On where he’s seen Josh Simmons improve: “I’ve seen him grow the most from having reps in his system. There’s a lot going on in this system so having reps and having seen live fire in front of you (helps you) gain confidence. O-line, half of it’s mentality, half of it’s confidence. Adding that other half to his game will (help him) improve further.”
- Jackson said you can see McLaughlin’s leadership on the field and off the field. “You can see his experience and his leadership at the center position, communicating down the line and making sure everyone is on the same page.”
Carson Hinzman
“Wherever coach wants me at, I’m ready. I’ve obviously been working very hard in the offseason.”– Carson Hizman on his expectations for the 2024 season
- Hinzman said he was “dead set” on being an Iron Buckeye in the offseason. He said he was proud three offensive linemen were named Iron Buckeyes.
- On moving from center to guard: “I’ve always told coaches I’ll play safety if you want me to. I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team.”
- Hinzman called Luke Montgomery a “hefty lefty” at center and said he wishes he could snap with his left hand. He added Montgomery has done well making the calls on offense.
Seth McLaughlin
“I love the guys in the room. I mean I can look at these guys and we go out to practice every day and I’m doing it for the love of the guys in the room. TreVeyon Henderson always says you have to do it for the love of your brother.”– Seth McLaughlin on how tight-knit the offensive line room is
- McLaughlin says he tries to pass on what he’s learned in his college career to younger players, including learning habits and techniques.
- McLaughlin says he feels confident that OSU has up to eight players that can get the job done in Ohio State’s offensive line group.
- McLaughlin highlighted Kayden McDonald as a defensive lineman impressing during camp, saying he’s done a good job of getting better and improving each play.
- McLaughlin says when you walk out to practice for Ryan Day, he expects the best out of you and maximum effort each play.
George Fitzpatrick
“I think they should feel good about the depth. I think we have a lot of guys who can go in and help the team if someone were to go down. That’s a tribute to our development here. When guys leave, there are guys next up and ready to go.”– George Fitzpatrick on how fans should feel about Ohio State’s offensive line depth
- On where he’s been earning reps in preseason camp: “It’s been going good. I’ve been playing right tackle and getting a few reps at left tackle, too. Wherever the coaches need me, I’m just trying to go in and make my presence felt. I feel like it’s been going well.”
- Fitzpatrick called Tshabola a “really funny dude.” As for his play on the field, Fitzpatrick said, “He’s really violent. He has heavy hands. He plays nasty. He’s always finishing dudes. He’s a really good dude.”
- “You have to trust the process and kind of know the coaches have your best interest (in mind). You kind of just have to wait your turn. If you keep working, good things will come to you. Keep doing the things your supposed to do and keep buying in.” Fitzpatrick said he’s had to buy in this offseason, being “more locked in and more focused.”
Tegra Tshabola
“Satisfied, I don’t think – see, I’m a guy who’s really hard on himself. I like to say that it’s good to push myself every day. I’m trying to be better no matter what. The moment you get complacent, that’s when s— hits the fan. I try to push myself everyday… but there’s always something to fix.”– Tegra Tshabola on his mentality entering year three
- On his competition with Carson Hinzman at right guard: “I feel good about the competition. It’s made me better. It’s made me a better football player. Competing against a guy as talented as Carson has pushed me to be as good as I am right now.”
- Tshabola said it’s “helped a lot” to be focused on just playing right guard this offseason. If Ohio State needed him to slide out to tackle, Tegra said, “Whatever the team needs, you got to do it. If you haven’t got any snaps at all, if (the coaches) ask you to do something or win a game, I’d go do it for the team.”
- Tshabola said everybody on Ohio State’s roster is “playing for something” this season. “What you feel from this team, especially this defensive line, is that they’re playing for something. Everyone is playing for their family. Everyone is playing for this team. Everyone is playing for something.”
Josh Fryar
“We always have a chip on our shoulder. … It’s what drives us. Seth is supposed to be the worst in the country. I’m supposed to be, People don’t like me as a right tackle. Tegra is slow. Donny is supposed to be going to the NFL. Josh Simmons doesn’t know what he’s doing. Everybody has an opinion about us. … But it’s an opinion. I don’t really care about it.”– Josh Fryar on the offensive line having a chip on its shoulder
- Fryar said he “had fun with” the offseason workouts. Fryar said strength coach Mick Marotti makes Ohio State’s winter and summer workouts “extremely hard,” but “at the same time, you have to look at it as being fun because it’s your job and it’s what you're supposed to do.”
- Fryar said Ian Moore “is doing really well” in his first season with the Buckeyes. “He’s light years ahead of (where) I was as a freshman. He’s gonna be a really good guy. You’ll hear his name a lot when he gets a chance to play here.”
- On being an Ohio State football player: “When it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s bad. At the same time, it’s fun. I didn’t expect this as a college football player, but at the same time, now I understand what it’s about. It’s completely different from high school.”
Zen Michalski
“It could be the second play of the Oregon game, I got to go in, I got to play, we have to win this game. That’s kind of how I approached the whole offseason, especially after some exit meetings with the coaches in the spring to (discuss) how we wanted to attack it.”– Zen Michalski on being ready to contribute this season
- After a sickness went through Ohio State’s offensive line in preseason camp, Michalski called his extra reps a “really good opportunity.” He added: “I think I took advantage of my reps. I’m really happy I was able to do well with that and reinforce the coaches (belief in me) with my ability.”
- Michalski said he feels “a lot more confident” in his ability because he’s received more reps from another spring ball and preseason camp. “I’m more comfortable on the left side. I feel like I’ve had a whole year at that with spring ball and camp. I’ve had a lot of reps with the ones because of stuff that’s been going on in camp. So I feel good about myself. I feel much better than I did last year.”
- Michalski called Seth McLaughlin a “really smart” player. “He’s a dude you kind of look at, and he’s really smart, and I trust a lot of what Seth says. When he gets up and he has something to say, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m gonna take this seriously.’ … I know whatever he says is probably important.”
Luke Montgomery
“I’m gonna feel bad for Akron when we play them. ’Cause we're gonna be seeing new guys for once.”– Luke Montgomery on the Buckeyes’ desire to play another team
- Montgomery said he and his teammates aren’t paying much attention to the criticism the offensive line has received since last season. “It doesn't really bother us.”
- Montgomery said he still felt like a “newbie” to playing offensive line when he arrived at Ohio State after only playing on the line for two years in high school. “It's taken me a long time to just master the technique that has been shown. But I trust in it wholeheartedly and I'm just trying to grind every day.”
- Although he started his Ohio State career wanting to play left tackle, Montgomery says he’s enjoying playing both center and guard now. He feels confident in his ability to play any position along the line.
- He says he has “mixed emotions” that he’s had to bounce around because he wants to get on the field as fast as he can, but he understands “that’s part of the deal coming to Ohio State. You have all these goals and aspirations and they're still right there, so I'm just grinding to get to that moment.”
- On Seth McLaughlin: “He takes the field like a pro. He takes the classroom like a pro.”
- Montgomery says Donovan Jackson and Josh Fryar are his teammates he’s learned the most from.
